Method for producing a non-woven fabric with a thermally activated adhesive surface, resulting product and applications thereof

ABSTRACT

A three-dimensional non-woven fabric with a thermally activated adhesive surface well suited for use as a facing fabric for covering a fibrous mat. The fabric comprises two adjoining fiber layers, namely an adhesive layer including bond-forming fibers fusible at a predetermined temperature and a facing layer of fibers having a considerably higher melting temperature than the bond-forming fibers. The fibers of both layers are mechanically engaged one with another and are arranged flat-wise in bundles interconnected at junctures by protuberant fiber packings disposed in a staggered relationship throughout the fabric. Bond-forming fibers are concentrated in the apex portions of the fiber packings to form the thermally activated adhesive surface. The invention also extends to a process for manufacturing the three-dimensional non-woven fabric, based on the so-called &#34;rosebud&#34; technique for producing foraminous webs. The invention further comprehends a molded fibrous mat article with a non-woven fabric facing layer, and a method for producing the article.

This is a div. of 08/031,760, filed Mar. 15, 1993, U.S. Pat. No.5,301,400 which is a division, of application Ser. No. 07/550,258, filedJul. 9, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,227 which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

The present invention relates to a new non-woven fabric with aself-bonding surface well suited for use as a facing fabric for coveringa fibrous mat, and to a method for producing the non-woven fabric. Theinvention also extends to a molded fibrous mat article to which isheat-sealed a layer of non-woven fabric and to a process formanufacturing the fibrous mat article.

Glass fibers mat is extensively used in various fields as asound-deadening and thermally insulating medium. One example is theautomotive industry where a glass fibers mat is applied to varioussections of a vehicle cabin such as the floor-pan or the fire-wall tolimit heat and noise penetration.

In a glass fibers mat, the individual fibers are relatively looselyretained to the mat network and consequently, small glass particles arereleased during the manipulation of the unfaced mat causing irritationproblems to the user. Some manufacturers are trying to solve thisproblem by applying on the main surfaces of the fibrous mat facinglayers of synthetic non-woven fabric which form a cladding preventingsmall glass particles to escape. In addition, the facing layersaesthetically improve the fibrous mat article.

Typically, the non-woven fabric is heat sealed to the fibrous mat in amold which also cures and provides the mat with a desired shape. Atypical set-up comprises a supply station feeding uncured fibrous mattoward the mold between two sheets of non-woven fabric. Immediatelyprior to the fabric sheets entering the mold, they pass throughrespective adhesive coating stations which apply a thermally activatedadhesive in powder form thereon, which under the effect of heatgenerated in the mold fuses and bonds the fabric sheets to the mat.

The above described process has two main drawbacks. Firstly, theadhesive coating stations considerably increase the manufacturing costof the final product. Secondly, the non-woven fabrics currently used donot have the required elongation capability to expand and follow thetopography of the fibrous mat during the shaping process thereof in themold. On high deformation parts, the non-woven fabric usually tearswhich obviously is undesirable.

It is known in the field to use a non-woven fabric with a thermallyactivated self-bonding surface which obviates the need of adhesivecoating stations. This type of conventional fabric suffers from a highdamage rate as a result of tear during the molding operation of highdeformation parts, therefore it cannot be considered to be asatisfactory solution to the problem.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is a non-woven fabric anda method for manufacturing same, having a thermally activated adhesivesurface and capable of relatively high elongation in various directionsto reduce the possibility of tearing when the fabric is beingheat-sealed to a fibrous mat in a shaping mold.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved molded fibrousmat article and a method for manufacturing same, having a heat-sealedfacing fabric layer strongly bonded to a fibrous mat core, the facingfabric layer being substantially free of defects such as tears causedduring the molding operation.

In one aspect, the invention provides a three-dimensional non-wovenfabric having a thermally activated adhesive surface. The fabric is alaminated structure comprising a first fiber layer includingbond-forming fibers which are fusible at a predetermined temperature anda second fiber layer including fibers in a solid state at saidpredetermined temperature. The fibers of both layers are mechanicallyengaged together and are arranged flatwise in bundles interconnected atjunctures by protuberant fiber packings disposed in a staggeredrelationship throughout the fabric. The bond-forming fibers areconcentrated on the fabric surface which comprises the protuberant fiberpackings to form the thermally activated adhesive surface.

The non-woven fabric is particularly advantageous for use as a facinglayer on a molded fibrous mat because it has a self-bonding surface,therefore obviating the need to coat the fabric with an adhesiveimmediately before it enters the shaping mold and also, it has goodelongation or stretchability characteristics in various directions inthe normal plane of the fabric which reduces the possibility of fabrictear during the molding step. The improved elongation characteristicsresult from the staggered pattern of fiber packings throughout thefabric which allow the fabric to be considerably stretched into themachine direction, the cross-machine direction and in intermediatedirections to closely follow the topography of the fibrous mat duringthe shaping process thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the fabric includes a facing layer made ofpolyester fibers having a relatively high melting point, ofapproximately 500° F. and an adhesive layer which includes low meltpolyester fibers that form the bonding surface. The low melt polyesterfibers are fusible at a temperature substantially below 500° F. and areintermixed with rayon fibers which act as a filler. The proportionbetween the rayon and the polyester fibers is preferably 50/50 however,the proportion of polyester fibers may be reduced or increased,depending on the specific application.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for manufacturing anon-woven fabric with a thermally activated adhesive surface, whichcomprises the step of feeding two continuous fiber layers in aface-to-face relationship through a fiber rearranging zone, confinedtherein between an apertured member having openings disposed in astaggered relationship, preferably a perforated drum, and a foraminousmember, such as a screen belt. The fiber layer facing the aperturedmember includes bond-forming fibers which are fusible at a predeterminedtemperature and form the adhesive surface of the fabric. The fiber layeradjacent the foraminous member comprises fibers of a material in a solidstate at the temperature at which the bond-forming fibers fuse. A fluidforce is applied to the fibers in the rearranging zone, with a directionfrom the foraminous member toward the apertured member, causing thefibers of both layers to arrange under the influence of the fluid forceflatwise in bundles extending over the land areas of the aperturedmember and in protruberant fiber packings located in the openings of theapertured member and interconnecting the bundles at junctures thereof.The fluid force may be created by a water stream directed across thefiber rearranging zone.

As a result of the staggered relationship between the openings in theapertured member, the protruberant fiber packings will create astaggered pattern on the fabric. As mentioned above, the staggeredpattern of fiber packings improves the elongation characteristics of thefabric in various directions.

In a preferred embodiment, both fiber layers are carded in the machinedirection prior to being processed in the fiber rearranging zone. Thelayer containing the bond forming fibers also contains filler fibersretained to the bond forming fibers by a suitable binder.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method and an apparatusfor producing a molded article including a fibrous mat on which isheat-sealed a layer of the non-woven fabric with a thermally activatedadhesive surface. The irregular adhesive surface of the fabric providesa stronger and more durable bond because the fiber packings are embeddedin the fibrous mat.

The method for manufacturing the molded article comprises the steps ofapplying the non-woven fabric to a fibrous mat and heating the fibrousmat to activate its adhesive surface in order to bond the non-wovenfabric to the fibrous mat.

In a preferred embodiment, the uncured fibrous mat and the non-wovenfabric are fed in adjoining relationship in a shaping mold. The mold isclosed and heated to cure the fibrous mat and similtaneously seal thenon-woven fabric on the mat. As a result of the higher elongationcapability of the fabric in various directions, the fabric can closelyfollow and conform well to the topography of the fibrous mat withouttearing, during the fibrous mat shaping process.

In summary, the invention comprises a three-dimensional non-woven fabrichaving a thermally activated adhesive surface, the non-woven fabriccomprising a first fiber layer including bond-forming fibers fusible ata predetermined temperature and a second fiber layer including fibers ofa material in a solid phase at the predetermined temperature, the fibersbeing in mechanical engagement one with another and arranged flatwise inbundles interconnected at junctures by protuberant fiber packingsdisposed in a staggered pattern throughout the fabric, the bond-formingfibers and the fibers of a material in a solid phase being concentratedin apex and base portions of the protuberant fiber packingsrespectively.

The invention further extends to a method to form a three-dimensionalnon-woven fabric having a thermally activated adhesive surface, themethod comprising the steps of:

passing a first continuous fiber layer including bond-forming fibersfusible at a predetermined temperature and a second continuous fiberlayer including fibers of a material in a solid phase at thepredetermined temperature, in a face-to-face relationship through afiber rearranging zone, confined therein between a foraminous member andan apertured member including openings arranged in a staggeredrelationship and spaced apart from one another by land areas, the firstfiber layer facing the apertured member and the second fiber layerfacing the foraminous member; and

applying a fluid force to the fibers in the fiber rearranging zone witha direction from the foraminous member toward the apertured member,causing the fibers to arrange under the influence of the fluid forceflatwise in bundles over the land areas, and in protuberant fiberpackings in the openings interconnecting the bundles at juncturesthereof, the openings arranged in a staggered relationship providing astaggered pattern of protuberant fiber packings throughout the non-wovenfabric, the bond-forming fibers and the fibers of a material in a solidphase being concentrated in apex and base portions of the fiber packingsrespectively.

The invention also comprehends a method for manufacturing a laminatedmolded article, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a fibrous mat;

applying on the fibrous mat in a face-to-face relationship a non-wovenfabric having a thermally activated adhesive surface which faces thefibrous mat, the non-woven fabric comprising a first fiber layerincluding bond-forming fibers fusible at a predetermined temperature anda second fiber layer including fibers of a material in a solid phase atthe predetermined temperature, the fibers being in mechanical engagementone with another and arranged generally flatwise in bundlesinterconnected at junctures by protuberant fiber packings disposed in astaggered pattern throughout the fabric, the bond-forming fibers beingconcentrated along a surface of the non-woven fabric comprising theprotuberant fiber packings, the protuberant fiber packings facing thefibrous mat; and

heating the thermally activated adhesive surface at the predeterminedtemperature to seal the non-woven fabric to the fibrous mat.

Yet, the invention comprises a laminated molded article, comprising:

a fibrous mat core;

a facing layer of a non-woven fabric heat-sealed to the fibrous matcore, the non-woven fabric being of the type comprising a first fiberlayer including bond-forming fibers fusible at a predeterminedtemperature and a second fiber layer including fibers of a material in asolid phase at the predetermined temperature, the fibers being inmechanical engagement one with another and arranged flatwise in bundlesinterconnected at junctures by protuberant fiber packings disposed in astaggered pattern throughout the fabric, the bond-forming fibers and thefibers of a material in a solid phase being concentrated in apex andbase portions of the protuberant fiber packings respectively, thebond-forming fibers being fused and adhering to the fibrous mat core.

Preferred embodiments of present invention will now be described inrelation to the annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic top plan view of the fiber rearrangingstation of an apparatus for producing a non-woven fabric according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the fiber rearranging station shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale illustratinga nozzle assembly for producing water jets directed towards theapertured drum of the fiber rearranging station;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the apertured drum whichdiagrammatically shows the fiber rearranging process caused by theapplication of fluid forces on the fibers;

FIG. 5 is a highly enlarged sectional view taken along lines 5--5 inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view on a highly enlarged scale of the structureof the non-woven fabric according to the invention, the adhesive surfaceof the fabric facing up;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view on a highly enlargedscale of a single fiber packing of the fabric shown in FIG. 6,illustrating the distribution of the various type of fibers therein;

FIG. 8 is a schematical view of a process and an apparatus formanufacturing a molded fibrous mat article provided with the non-wovenfabric according to the present invention as a facing layer;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the molded fibrous mat article producedwith the apparatus shown in FIG. 8, the non-woven fabric facing layerbeing partly removed for clarity; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary and enlarged cross-sectional view of the moldedarticle shown in FIG. 9, illustrating the laminated structure formed bythe fibrous mat core and the facing fabric layers.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 5, there is shown the structure of a fiberrearranging station 10 of a machine for producing a three-dimensionalnon-woven fabric having a thermally activated irregular adhesive surfaceand a smooth facing layer, from fibrous webs by the application of fluidforces which rearrange the fibers into a unitary fabric structure. Theconcept of an apparatus for producing a foraminous fabric by applyingfluid forces to a fibrous web is a well-known technique and it isdescribed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,721 issued on May 8, 1962.

The fiber rearranging station 10 comprises a rotating perforatedhorizontally extending drum 12 which is wrapped by two fiber layers 14and 16 which form the irregular adhesive surface and the smooth facingsurface respectively, of the non-woven fabric 15. The fiber layers 14,16 and the resulting non-woven fabric 15 are maintained against the drum12 by a screen belt 18 and a pair of guide rollers 22 and 24.

The structure of the perforated drum 12 is shown with more detail inFIG. 4. The drum 12 comprises perforations 17 in a staggeredrelationship extending on the entire peripheral surface thereof andbeing spaced from one another by land areas 19 which are constituted bythe non-perforated drum surface. In a specific embodiment, theperforations density is 132 holes per square inch, which constitutes a41% open area. The drum 12 is mounted for rotation to the frame of themachine for producing the fabric and it is coupled to a driving systemto rotate the drum 12 in the desired direction. The drum driving systemwill not be described here because it is of a conventional construction.

The screen belt 18 is made of a synthetic material and has a mesh sizeof 23×23, defining a 55% open area. The openings on the screen belt 18are substantially smaller than the perforations 17.

The fiber layer 14 which forms the thermally activated adhesive surfaceof the fabric 15 and faces the drum 12 in the fiber rearranging station10, comprises fibers of a low melt thermoplastic material such aspolyester, polyethylene and polyamide among others. As a specificexample, low melt polyester fibers commercialized by Du Pont Canada Inc.under the code D1346 have been found satisfactory. The fiber layer 14also comprises filler fibers such as rayon, acrylic, cotton, polyesterand polypropylene fibers among others, bonded to the low meltthermoplastic material fibers with a suitable binder. Rayon fibers havebeen found particularly advantageous because of their low cost. Examplesof possible binders are aqueous emulsions, acrylic binders,styrene-butadiene resins, ethylene vinyl acetates, polyvinyl chlorides,oil base emulsions and solvent base adhesives, among others. A fiberlayer 14 formed entirely of low melt thermoplastic fibers can be usedfor specific applications, however for most applications a lowerproportion of low melt thermoplastic fibers is satisfactory to achieve astrong bond and reduces the manufacturing costs of the non-woven fabricbecause the filler fibers are considerably less expensive than the lowmelt thermoplastic fibers. Preferably, the proportion of low meltthermoplastic and filler fibers is 50/50, although a lower or a higherproportion of low melt thermoplastic fibers is possible.

The fiber layer 16 which forms the facing surface of the fabric 15,faces the screen belt 18 in the fiber rearranging station 10 andcomprises fibers of a material having a substantially higher meltingtemperature than the low melt thermoplastic material used in theadhesive layer 14 so as to remain dimensionally stable at thetemperature required to fuse the adhesive surface of the non-wovenfabric 15 when the fabric is being heat-sealed to another body. Forexample, polyester fibers of the type commercialized by Celanease CanadaInc. under the code 410 have been found satisfactory. Other types offibers can also be used as it will be plain to those skilled in the art.

The fiber layers 14 and 16 are supplied to the fiber rearranging station10 from respective carding machines, not-shown in the drawings, of atype well-known in the art to disentangle the raw fibers and orient themin a parallel fashion in a machine direction.

A system 26 for producing a fluid stream, preferably water, tomechanically interlock the fibers of layers 14 and 16 into a foraminousfabric, is provided adjacent the perforated drum 12. The system 26directs a fluid force to the sandwich formed by the fiber layers 14 and16 from the screen belt 18 toward the perforated drum 12. The fluidstream producing system 26 comprises a manifold 28 connected to a sourceof pressurized water, from which extend four horizontal rows of nozzles30. Each row of nozzles extends the entire length of the drum 12, andthe nozzles 30 in adjacent rows are arranged in a staggeredrelationship. As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the water streams 32produced by the individual nozzles 30 are in the form of flat cones,extending in a plane which is generally parallel to the rotation axis ofthe drum 12. Nozzles having a 10-15 size supplied with water at 125 psighave been successfully used.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the effect of the fluid forces on the fiberlayers 14 and 16. The water projected from the nozzles 30 toward thedrum 12, passes through the screen belt 18 which acts as a spraydiffusing member to break down large water droplets into smallerdroplets which then carry the fibers in the perforations 17 of the drum12 where they become mechanically interlocked forming protuberantpackings which are joined by flat fiber bundles extending over the landareas 19 of the drum 12.

The structure of the resulting fiber network is more clearly shown inFIG. 6. The fabric 15 comprises an irregular adhesive surface, shownfacing up in FIG. 6, which displays parallel rows of fiber packings 34having a generally convex surface, arranged in a staggered relationshipand interconnected by bundles of fibers 36. In the bundles 36, thefibers are generally parallel to one another and arranged flatwise. Thenetwork of fiber packings 34 and bundles 36 define diamond shaped zones38 which are substantially free of fibers. It has been observed thatthis fabric structure allows a higher fabric elongation in variousdirections in the normal plane of the fabric such as the machinedirection, the cross-machine direction and other intermediatedirections, before permanent damage to the fabric occurs. FIG. 7illustrates schematically the disposition of the fiber layers 14 and 16in the resultant laminated fabric network. The irregular surface of thefabric constituted by the fiber packings 34 is formed by the fibers ofthe fibrous layer 14 while the opposite surface of the fabric isconstituted by the fibers of layer 16.

It will be appreciated that the disposition of the fiber packings 34 inthe fabric 15 essentially depends on the perforation pattern on the drum12. If it is desired to produce a fabric where the packings 34 extendmore closely to one another, or more distant from one another, itsuffices to provide a drum 12 having the corresponding perforationscheme.

Tests have been conducted to measure the elongation at break of thenon-woven fabric according to the invention, comparatively to a priorart non-woven fabric. The results of these tests, summarized in thetable below, clearly demonstrate the improvement in the elongationcharacteristics of the fabric as a result of the staggered pattern offiber packings throughout the fabric.

    ______________________________________                                                Prior art    Fabric according                                                 fabric       to invention                                             ______________________________________                                        Composition                                                                             Polyester      Polyester                                                      (melting temperature)                                                                        (melting temperature                                           of about 500° F.)                                                                     of about 500° F.)                                       Binder         Low melt polyester                                                            Rayon                                                                         Binder                                               Structure Fibers carded in                                                                             Staggered pattern                                              machine direction                                                                            of protuberant                                                                fiber packings                                       Basis weight                                                                            27.3           26.8                                                 g/yr.sup.2                                                                    Average of                                                                              112.4          113.3                                                elongation at            (+0.8%)                                              break in cross                                                                machine                                                                       direction                                                                     6 folds/1 inch                                                                Average of                                                                              20.5           25.2                                                 elongation at            (+22.9%)                                             break in                                                                      machine                                                                       direction                                                                     6 folds/1 inch                                                                Average of                                                                              29.3           47.1                                                 elongation at            (+60.8%)                                             bias direction                                                                (45°)                                                                  6 folds/1 inch                                                                ______________________________________                                    

The non-woven fabric 15 may be subjected to various well-known chemicalor mechanical treatments such as printing, creping, fluffing and coatingwith a fire-retardant component, among others, to provide the fabricwith the desired properties to suit various applications.

The non-woven fabric 15 is well suited for use as a facing layer of afibrous mat article. FIG. 8 illustrates an automated molding station 37for shaping and curing a fibrous mat sheet and for simultaneouslyheat-sealing thereon layers of the non-woven fabric 15. The moldingstation 37 comprises mold halves 38 and 40 which are movable onerelatively to another, and defining in a closed position a moldingcavity 42. An uncured sheet of glass fibers mat 44 is fed from a supplyroll 46 between two sheets of non-woven facing fabric 15 arranged sothat the bonding surface of each fabric faces the glass fibers mat 44.When the sandwich constituted by the uncured mat 44 and the two sheetsof fabric 15 is extended between the mold halves, the mold is closed topress together the sandwich layers and heated by any appropriate meansto cure and shape the glass fibers mat and to activate the bondingsurface of the sheets of fabric 15 so that the fabric is heat-sealed onthe mat. As a result of the good elongation characteristics of thefabric 15, it can closely follow the topography of the mat 44, as it iselongated to assume the shape of the molding cavity 42 without tearing.FIG. 9 illustrates the resulting molded article.

FIG. 10 illustrates in detail the laminated structure by the glassfibers mat and the two non-woven fabric facing layers. The protruberantfiber packings 34 are fused and embedded in the fibrous mat core underthe effect of heat and pressure in the mold which results into astronger bond between the two surfaces.

The irregular adhesive surface of the fabric 15 is also advantageiousbecause it constitutes an anti-friction surface which assists inproperly positioning the fabric sheet over the mat core prior to theheat-sealing of the fabric thereon. The protuberant packings 34 grip thefibrous surface of the mat which prevents slipping or misalignment ofthe fabric from the mat core prior to bonding of the fabric to the mat.

It will be appreciated that the non-woven fabric 15 does not necessarilyhave to be heat-sealed to the fibrous mat core during the shapingprocess of the fibrous mat. It may very well be envisaged to cure thenon-woven fabric to the fibrous mat core before or after the shapingprocess thereof. Such an embodiment may be well-suited for applicationswhere the required temperatures for heat-sealing the non-woven fabricand for curing the fibrous mat are different.

The above description of preferred embodiments according to theinvention should not be interpreted in any limiting manner as they maybe varied and refined in various ways. The scope of the invention isdefined in the annexed claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method formanufacturing a laminated molded article, said method comprising thesteps of:providing a fibrous mat; applying on said fibrous mat in aface-to-face relationship a non-woven fabric having a thermallyactivated adhesive surface which faces said fibrous mat, said non-wovenfabric comprising a first fiber layer including bond-forming fibersfusible at a predetermined temperature and a second fiber layerincluding fibers of a material in a solid phase at said predeterminedtemperature, said fibers being in mechanical engagement one with anotherand arranged generally flatwise in bundles interconnected at juncturesby protuberant fiber packings disposed in a staggered pattern throughoutsaid fabric, said bond-forming fibers being concentrated along a surfaceof said non-woven fabric comprising said protuberant fiber packings,said protuberant fiber packings facing said fibrous mat; and heatingsaid thermally activated adhesive surface at said predeterminedtemperature to seal said non-woven fabric to said fibrous mat.
 2. Amethod as defined in claim 1, wherein said protuberant fiber packingsform a friction surface opposing a relative movement between saidnon-woven fabric and said fibrous mat prior the sealing of saidnon-woven fabric to said fibrous mat.
 3. A method as defined in claim 1,further comprising the step of pressing said non-woven fabric towardsaid fibrous mat during the sealing of said non-woven fabric to saidfibrous mat for embedding said protuberant fiber packings therein toachieve a stronger bond between said non-woven fabric and said fibrousmat.
 4. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising the step of curingand shaping said fibrous mat before sealing thereon said non-wovenfabric.
 5. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising the step of curingand shaping said fibrous mat after sealing thereon said non-wovenfabric.
 6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibrous mat hasa highly irregular topography, said method further comprising the stepof closely conforming said non-woven fabric to said fibrous mat whichcauses high elongation of said non-woven fabric allowed by saidstaggered pattern of protuberant packings.
 7. A method as defined inclaim 6, wherein said method comprises the steps of:providing a shapingmold defining a molding cavity; feeding a fibrous uncured mat in aface-to-face relationship with a sheet of said non-woven fabric in saidshaping mold, said thermally activated adhesive surface facing saiduncured mat; closing said mold to conform said uncured mat and saidnon-woven fabric to said molding cavity which causes high elongation ofsaid non-woven fabric allowed by said staggered pattern of protuberantfiber packings; and heating said molding cavity to cure said fibrous matand to seal said non-woven fabric to said fibrous mat.
 8. A method asdefined in claim 1, wherein said bundles and said fiber packings definea pattern of diamond shaped zones substantially free of fibers.
 9. Amethod as defined in claim 1, wherein said first fiber layer furtherincludes filler fibers.
 10. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein saidbond-forming fibers are made of a low temperature melt thermoplasticmaterial.
 11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein said bond-formingfibers are made of a material selected in the group consisting ofpolyester, polyethylene and polyamide.
 12. A method as defined in claim9 wherein said filler fibers are made of a material selected in thegroup consisting of rayon, acrylic material, cotton, polyester andpolypropylene.
 13. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein said fillerand bond-forming fibers are bonded together with a binder.
 14. A methodas defined in claim 13, wherein said binder is selected in the groupconsisting of aqueous emulsion, acrylic binder, styrene-butadiene resin,ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, oil base emulsion andsolvent base adhesive.
 15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein saidfirst fiber layer includes approximately 50% of rayon fibers andapproximately 50% of low temperature melt polyester fibers.
 16. A methodas defined in claim 1, wherein said material is polyester.
 17. A methodas defined in claim 7, comprising the step of feeding said fibrousuncured mat and a sheet of said non-woven fabric on either side of saidfibrous uncured mat in said shaping mold.
 18. A laminated moldedarticle, comprising:a fibrous mat core; a facing layer of a non-wovenfabric heat-sealed to said fibrous mat core, said non-woven fabric beingof the type comprising a first fiber layer including bond-forming fibersfusible at a predetermined temperature and a second fiber layerincluding fibers of a material in a solid phase at said predeterminedtemperature, said fibers being in mechanical engagement one with anotherand arranged flatwise in bundles interconnected at junctures byprotuberant fiber packings disposed in a staggered pattern throughoutsaid fabric, said bond-forming fibers and said fibers of a material in asolid phase being concentrated in apex and base portions of saidprotuberant fiber packings respectively, said bond-forming fibers beingfused and adhering to said fibrous mat core.
 19. A laminated moldedarticle as defined in claim 18, wherein said protuberant fiber packingsare embedded in said fibrous mat core to provide a stronger bond betweensaid fibrous mat core and said non-woven fabric.
 20. A laminated moldedarticle as defined in claim 18, wherein said facing layer defines apattern of diamond shaped zones.
 21. A laminated molded article asdefined in claim 18, wherein said bond-forming fibers are made of a lowtemperature melt thermoplastic material.
 22. A laminated molded articleas defined in claim 21, wherein said bond-forming fibers are made of amaterial selected in the group consisting of polyester, polyethylene andpolyamide.
 23. A laminated molded article as defined in claim 18,wherein said first fiber layer further includes filler fibers.
 24. Alaminated molded article as defined in claim 23, wherein said fillerfibers are made of a material selected in the group consisting of rayon,acrylic material, cotton, polyester and polypropylene.
 25. A laminatedmolded article as defined in claim 23, wherein said filler andbond-forming fibers are bonded together with a binder.
 26. A laminatedmolded article as defined in claim 25, wherein said binder is selectedin the group consisting of aqueous emulsion, acrylic binder,styrene-butadiene resin, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, oilbase emulsion and solvent base adhesive.
 27. A laminated molded articleas defined in claim 18, wherein said first fiber layer includesapproximately 50% of rayon fibers and approximately 50% of lowtemperature melt polyester fibers.
 28. A laminated molded article asdefined in claim 18, wherein said material is polyester.